Scenting Trouble
by Clare
Summary: Veronica, a Pokemon trainer who originally comes from the Kalos region, is travelling around Kanto with her Aromatisse when they have an encounter with two members of Team Rocket.


**Scenting Trouble**

"So this is it," I said to the Pokemon beside me. "Cut through Mount Moon and we'll soon be in Cerulean City." I smiled as a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Hey! Maybe I'll be able to catch a Clefairy, or a Jigglypuff!"

"Aroma!" said my Pokemon, who was, as you may have gathered from that, an Aromatisse, a bipedal creature with purple and pink fur and thick eyelashes. She was my constant companion, the very first Pokemon I ever had - I raised her from a Spritzee - and we had travelled far together. I had other Pokemon, of course (a Delcatty, a Skiploom, a Raichu, a Talonflame and a Buizel) but Aromatisse and I had that special bond which is unique to trainers and their first Pokemon. Incidentally, I'm not saying you can't have a special bond with a Pokemon which isn't your first, but the bond between trainers and their first Pokemon tends to be extra special.

Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Veronica and I was born in the Kalos region, in Camphrier Town to be precise, but my family moved to Kanto when I was twelve. At the point in my life where this story took place, I was fifteen years old, medium height, with light brown hair, which I usually wore in a braid, and grey eyes. As far as clothes were concerned, I usually dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, with sneakers on my feet and a belt for carrying my Poke Balls on my waist. The rest of my stuff was carried in my backpack. In short, I was your typical Pokemon trainer on a journey to collect Gym Badges.

Like I said before, Aromatisse (or, rather, the Spritzee from which she evolved) was my first Pokemon; I'd had her since I was ten. I would have taken her and gone to challenge the Kalos League, but my parents said I was too young and insisted that I wait a few years. Eventually, when I turned fifteen, they agreed that I was old enough to go, but, by then, we were living in Viridian City in Kanto. And so I set out to challenge the Kanto League.

* * *

><p>Now, back to the story.<p>

Having already beaten the Gym in Pewter City and earned a shiny new Boulder Badge, I now had my sights set on the Cascade Badge in Cerulean City. According to the guide book I'd bought back in Viridian, the Cerulean Gym specialised in Water Pokemon; that meant I should use Skiploom, Raichu and Buizel if I wanted to stand the best chance of winning. But, before I could even think about challenging the Cerulean Gym, I first had to get there and the quickest way was via Mount Moon. Mount Moon, the place where it is said Clefairies dance on moonlit nights. I'd read about this, but I'd never seen it for myself and I made a mental note to check it out. Another time.

Meanwhile, I hoped to be in Cerulean by tomorrow. So I headed in the direction of Mount Moon, followed by Aromatisse. I did have a Poke Ball for her, but she spent most of her time out of it while I was on the road. She preferred it that way and, since I was travelling without any other humans, it gave me someone to talk to, even if that someone was a Fairy Type Pokemon. Of course, since you don't usually find an Aromatisse in Kanto, she attracted a fair bit of attention from other Pokemon trainers; I'd literally lost count of the number of times someone had pointed their Pokedex at her.

Anyway, we walked together, my Aromatisse and I, heading for Mount Moon. As we made our way down the round, I sniffed the air, taking in the fragrance my Pokemon was emitting. One of my favourite scents, I noted, a hint of lavender on a summer breeze; it reminds me of the fields of lavender back in Kalos. However, an Aromatisse has the ability to emit unpleasant fragrances as well as pleasant ones. It's a pretty useful trick for driving off enemies, but it's not something you want following you around on the road, so I'd trained Aromatisse not to emit any of her more noxious scents unless someone or something threatened us. I believe Glooms have a similar trick, but I digress. I was walking beside Aromatisse, breathing in the scent of lavender she was emitting, when all of a sudden . . .

We found ourselves falling into a pit which someone had dug right in the middle of the road and covered with branches, with a thin layer of soil over the top to conceal it from unwary travellers. "Hey!" I yelled, as I picked myself up from the bottom of the pit. "What's the big idea?!" I'd probably be bruised for a week, thanks to whoever was responsible for this pit being right in my path!

"Aromatisse!" my Pokemon added. That was all she had time to say before some sort of claw reached into the pit and lifted her up.

* * *

><p>A mocking laugh issued from somewhere above me and I looked up to see a guy and a girl peering down at me. They both wore black uniforms, with a red R emblazoned on the shirts; I couldn't see the guy's hair because of the cap he was wearing, but the girl's collar-length red hair could be seen under the rim of her hat. And she had my Aromatisse imprisoned in the grip of the claw which had grabbed her. "Aromatisse!" I shouted. "Who are you?!" I yelled at the two people looking down at me. "And what do you want?!" I couldn't explain it, but something told me that whatever they were up to was not good.<p>

"Well, unlike certain losers, we don't waste our time on stupid mottos," said the girl. "So, to keep it brief, I'm Cody. That's my partner, Billy." She nodded towards the guy beside her. "We're from Team Rocket. And what we want is to steal Pokemon!"

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Steal Pokemon? Didn't these Team Rocket people know stealing Pokemon was against the law? "Well, you're not going to get my Aromatisse!" I retorted, allowing a note of defiance to creep into my voice. I reached for one of my Poke Balls, intending to send out one of my other Pokemon to fight these guys and free Aromatisse. Unfortunately, Cody and Billy were a little too quick for me.

"We just have," Cody told me. "And what's more our Boss will pay big money for rare Pokemon like this. And, since we can't have you following us . . ." Moving as one, she and Billy threw a couple of grey balls on the ground in front of them. I thought they were some new kind of Poke Ball at first, one currently only available in the Kanto region - until the clouds of smoke appeared. My vision was completely obscured, but I could clearly hear Aromatisse crying out and knew I'd have to get out of this pit fast.

I took one of my Poke Balls off my belt and pressed the button to activate it. "Talonflame, I choose you!" I called, watching as my Fire/Flying Pokemon materialised before me. "Fly me out of this pit," I added, clutching hold of one of his legs. I'd had him almost as long as I'd had Aromatisse, having caught him when he was a Fletchling and she was still a Spritzee. He was one of the best Pokemon I had and he'd never let me down in battle, not to mention that I'd need him to disperse the smoke those two Team Rocket people had unleashed. What did they want anyway? Why did they go round stealing Pokemon instead of catching their own like you were supposed to? What were they going to do to my Aromatisse?

All these questions circulated through my mind as Talonflame flew me out of the pit, then flapped his wings to blow the smoke away. As soon as the smoke had cleared, I saw to my horror that the Team Rocket people were gone - and so was Aromatisse. I did not need anyone to tell me that they must have used the smoke to cover their escape; they, and Aromatisse, could be anywhere by now. How would I ever find them? How would I ever get the first Pokemon I ever had back from those thieves?

Wait! I didn't have to worry about finding them; I could send Talonflame to scout round and look for them. Like most birds, he had a very keen eye, so he should have no trouble spotting the people who had taken Aromatisse. With that in mind, I told him what I wanted him to do, telling myself that, when I caught up with the two thieves, I was going to give them something to remember me by. I was going to make them think twice before they stole any more Pokemon from me.

That was the vow I made as Talonflame flew off on the mission I had just given him. I considered sending Skiploom as well, but decided not to. Though Hoppip, Skiploom and Jumpluff are classified as Grass/Flying Pokemon, they do not fly so much as drift on the breeze. This means they are less suitable as scouts than other Flying Pokemon, since they can easily be caught out by a sudden gust of wind.

Anyway, I sent Talonflame to scout round, then sat down on the ground to await his return.

* * *

><p>Hours later - or at least it seemed like hours - Talonflame came winging back, squawking at me as if he wanted me to follow him. That could only mean one thing, but I felt I had to make sure - no sense in getting my hopes up. "Did you find Aromatisse?" I asked, hoping against hope that I would soon be reunited with my Fairy Pokemon, the Pokemon I always thought of as my "special favourite". A lot of Pokemon trainers have a "special favourite"; usually, as with Aromatisse and myself, this will be their first Pokemon, but there are exceptions.<p>

Anyway, Talonflame dipped his head as though he was nodding, squawked again and flew off in the direction he had come. That could only mean one thing; he had found those Team Rocket people, the thieves who had stolen my Aromatisse. I began to follow him, vowing to myself that I would catch up with the Rockets no matter what. I would get Aromatisse back if it was the last thing I ever did. And, when I did, I was going to teach Cody and Billy a lesson they would never forget. That was what I told myself as I ran down the trail, following the bird flying overhead.

Doubts occasionally crossed my mind. What if I didn't find the Rockets? Or what if I did find them, only to discover that Aromatisse had already been sent to the "Boss" Cody had mentioned? No, I mustn't think like that. I was going to find the Rockets. I was going to get Aromatisse back. She was my first Pokemon and she had never let me down, so there was no way I was going to let her down. Besides, I could smell lavender, even though there was none growing nearby and I knew that could only mean one thing: Aromatisse was leaving a trail of scent for me to follow. All I had to do was follow that trail and, with a bit of luck, I would find Aromatisse and the thieves who had stolen her.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, I heard the Rockets before I saw them. Rounding a corner, I caught a snatch of a conversation . . . No, scratch that - it sounded more like an argument. Anyway, I recognised Cody's voice yelling at Billy. "You're as much use as a Charizard in a swimming gala!" she was saying. "The hideout is that way!" I couldn't see her, but I could imagine her pointing imperiously in whatever direction she imagined their hideout was. The scent of lavender hung heavily in the air, telling me that I was not too late, that Aromatisse was still with them. Now, it was up to me and my other Pokemon to get her out of here.<p>

"It's that way!" Billy retorted. I imagined him pointing in the opposite direction to the way Cody was pointing. Moving closer, I saw them standing almost nose-to-nose, glaring at each other. Aromatisse was between them, still imprisoned in the claw which Cody had used to trap her, still emitting her lavender scent. "And can't we do something about that smell?!" Billy was holding his nose; clearly he was not as fond of the smell of lavender as I was.

Cody grinned evilly. "Yes, I think we will do something about it," she said, whipping a hand-held communicator out of her pocket. Pressing a button on the device, she spoke into the mouthpiece. "This is Cody. I'm with Billy between Mount Moon and Pewter City. We've captured a rare Pokemon for Giovanni. Request . . ." But that was as far as I allowed her to get.

"Talonflame," I said to the bird hovering beside me, "get that communicator." It was obvious that she was calling for transport, a helicopter most likely, to get herself, Billy and my Aromatisse to wherever this Team Rocket had their base of operations. And something told me that I would never see Aromatisse again if that helicopter took her away. I couldn't let that happen and the only way I could make sure it wouldn't was to get the communicator away from Cody.

Talonflame didn't need telling twice. He flew straight at Cody and snatched the communicator out of her hand before she had time to complete her sentence. She uttered a string of unrepeatable words as he flew up high, then dropped the communicator to the ground, smashing it to pieces. Then, she whipped out two Poke Balls. "Right," she said. "If that's the way you want to play it . . . Beedrill and Gligar! Teach this brat a lesson!"

"Rhyhorn and Houndour!" Billy called seconds later. And, with that, both Rockets sent out their Pokemon.

* * *

><p>I sized up the four Pokemon assembled before me: Cody's Beedrill and Gligar, Billy's Rhyhorn and Houndour. There was no way Talonflame could take on all four by himself; besides I still had to get Aromatisse out of the Rockets' clutches. Thinking quickly, I sent out all my remaining Pokemon, telling them to keep the Rockets' Pokemon busy while Talonflame freed Aromatisse. Moving as one, they leapt into action. Buizel sprayed Billy's Rhyhorn with a powerful Water Gun; the RockGround Pokemon did not enjoy that one bit. Meanwhile, Delcatty targeted Cody's Beedrill with a Double Slap, while Raichu Tackled Billy's Houndour. Finally, Skiploom attacked from above with her Bullet Seed, sending a barrage of hard seeds down on the Rockets and their Pokemon.

Taken by surprise, neither Cody nor Billy attempted to fight back at first. But, then, Cody remembered that, in a Pokemon battle, the trainers on both sides were supposed to issue commands to their Pokemon. "Don't just hang around!" she yelled at her Beedrill and Gligar. "Fight back! Beedrill! Poison Sting on that Delcatty! Gligar! Use Fury Cutter on the Skiploom!"

Beedrill began bombarding Delcatty with Poison Stings, while Gligar swiped at Skiploom with its (I didn't know if it was male or female) sharp claws. I countered Beedrill's attack by having Delcatty use Double Team, a move which allows a Pokemon to create duplicates of itself, thereby stalling an opponent. But I knew Skiploom was in trouble; Fury Cutter is a Bug Type move and Skiploom, being a Grass Pokemon, was weak against Bugs. And, to further complicate matters, Billy's Rhyhorn and Houndour had also entered the fray. After Skiploom barely dodged Houndour's Flamethrower, I knew I had to do something.

"Buizel! Raichu!" I shouted. "Help Skiploom!"

In response, Buizel fired his Water Gun at Houndour and Raichu aimed his Thunderbolt directly into the jet of water, which acted as a powerful conductor for the Electric Attack. Hit by the combination of water and electricity, Houndour was soon on the ground, whimpering in pain. Billy yelled at his Dark/Fire Pokemon to "get up and fight", but he was soon forced to admit defeat and recall Houndour, swearing under his breath as he did so. "You haven't beaten us yet," he told me. "Rhyhorn!" he said to his remaining Pokemon. "Rock Blast!"

"Beedrill! Pin Missile!" Cody shouted seconds later. "Gligar! Aerial Ace!"

But, before any of the three Pokemon could do as they had been ordered, Talonflame flew into the fray, with Aromatisse riding on his back, still emitting her lavender scent. No doubt, Talonflame had been able to break the claw using one of his Fire Type moves, fortunately without hurting Aromatisse since she was weak against fire. In any case, she was free - and, I decided as Talonflame deposited her on the ground next to me, it was time to teach these Rockets a lesson. "Aromatisse," I said, "give 'em the strongest scent you've got!" I pulled my shirt up over my nose, knowing from experience how overpowering Aromatisse's perfume could be when she used it at maximum strength. At the same time, my other Pokemon retreated to their Poke Balls, leaving me to face the Rockets with only Aromatisse to defend me. Still, if this worked, she would be all the defence I needed.

The next thing I knew, Cody and Billy were recalling their Pokemon and running away, yelling about the "terrible smell". Aromatisse had chosen to emit one of her more noxious scents, one so powerful that I could even smell it through my shirt. "OK, you can stop now," I said to her, once I was satisfied the Rockets were out of sight. Hopefully, today's encounter would be the last we saw of them, but I couldn't be sure of that. From now on, I would have to keep my wits about me. If there were Pokemon thieves operating in Kanto . . .

For now, though, Aromatisse and I (and my other Pokemon, of course) would get back on the road we had been on before the Rockets showed up, the road which led to Mount Moon and Cerulean City.


End file.
